Espinoza fined for excessive whipping of Stellar Wind

[ateamstupid]

Originally Posted by Dunbar

I fail to see why whipping is necessary. If no rider had a whip, there could still be horseracing. In fact, there already is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDagfA7qQ8s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzDM_0H_IEc

Okay, it's not exactly Saratoga, but it's horseracing. The first 3/4 of those races look a lot like a US race. The last 1/4 does, too, except for the lack of whips.

I don't know if whip use would have changed the outcome of those 2 races, and I don't care. The winners won fair and square under the conditions run.

IMO it's necessary more for directional purposes than motivation. If you have a horse that wants to drift in or out, the best and quickest way to correct that is with the stick.